INTERVIEW: CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH

AND

A LOOK AT THE NEW SALLE
PLEYEL

By Patricia
Boccadoro

PARIS, 28 December 2006—Since its inauguration on October 18th, 1927 when it was said to
be the finest concert hall in the world, the Salle Pleyel, situated near
the Arc de Triumph in Paris, has had more than its share of
disasters. Designed by the architect Jean-Marcel Aubertin, the auditorium,
seating 3000, boasted all the latest and best in acoustics. But the
triumph of the opening concert was to be short-lived as the building was
ravaged by fire less than nine months later, and the subsequent
reconstruction shoddy due to the slump of
1929. The "new" acoustics were poor, and the audience subjected
to an echo and a distortion of sound, particularly in the back
ten to fifteen rows. It was dark, narrow and dreary.

Unlike countries such as Germany or even the United Kingdom, France has
no musical tradition or education in schools. French orchestras have long
been considered second rate and the orchestras such as Colonne and
Lamoureux have done little to enhance their reputation.

The Orchestre de Paris, conducted by such prestigious names as
Munch, von Karajan and Solti, came into being in 1967, followed by
the creation of the Choeur de l'Orchestre de Paris by Daniel Barenboim
barely ten years later. Musically, things looked up, but the concert hall,
despite further renovations in 1980/81, continued to be constantly
denigrated, not only by the general public, but also by the musicians who
played there, who generally described it as being a "black hole with bad
sound". A period of unrest began with the departure of Barenboim, and a
slow downward slide began, culminating in 1998 when the building was
closed and put up for sale. Major renovation work by the new owner
did not begin until 2004.

Whatever then possessed Christoph Eschenbach, a man whose passion in
life is music, conductor of not only all the great American orchestras,
but also of the London Philharmonic, the Staatskapelle of Dresde, and the
philharmonic orchestras of Berlin, Munich and Vienna, to accept the post
of musical director there in 2000?

Christoph EschenbachPhoto: Eric
Brissaud

"I accepted the post because I knew that it was a wonderful orchestra",
the gentle, softly-spoken German-born conductor told me the day after a
beautiful concert of Mozart, where he himself interpreted the Concerto
for Piano and Orchestra No 23 in A Major, followed by exciting
interpretations of Ravel's Bolero and Roussel's Bacchos
and Ariane, a magnificent but infrequently played work.

"However, there was a lot of work to be done, particularly as regards
discipline", he smiled. "It was not only a case of perfection knowing no
limit. The musicians needed to be given a focus. I'd been warned
that the orchestra was very individualistic and difficult, but it was
precisely that which attracted me. It was important to me to get them to
express what they wanted to say. I don't like insignificant grey
masses!"

"I worked on developing their personalities to see what I would get
back in return, and the result was spectacular. I love their differences
and use and encourage them."

Orchestre de ParisPhoto: Jean-Baptiste
Pellerin

"Their average age is only about 35", he continued, "our youngest
member being 18, and they are all very talented. Now, they all openly love
music; they live for music and feel highly privileged, which is how it
should be. Moreover", he continued, "it's one of the very few orchestras
where all the sections are so well-balanced in quality. We don't have a
"second" violin or trumpet. Each musician is first class. And that is
rare. We are a world-class orchestra, and need only to be known
internationally."

He also spoke of the four difficult years he spent with the musicians
in the Mogador, an old, ill-kept vaudeville theatre in the centre of town.
The sound there was so appalling that they had to "force" their music and
although they tried to keep their repertoire as varied as possible,
certain works were impossible to perform. In addition, life in general was
troublesome, with cramped, lugubrious quarters, but the conditions, he
pointed out, merely helped forge their relationship and each kept up the
other's musical morale.

"We survived", he said, "and we knew better days lay ahead. I
appreciated their reaction to a difficult situation very much, and look at
us now! I'll never forget our first rehearsal here. Everyone was so amazed
by the light, airy auditorium, clean, clear, with such wonderful acoustics
that we had to learn again how to play pianissimo. All of a sudden we
could explore all the colours which we did on our opening night with
Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2, a score which demonstrated every
detail of the acoustics of the new hall. It was wonderful, and the
orchestra adjusted like magic to the new sound and all the possibilities
we'd been given."

The transformation is indeed spectacular. With an initial budget of
27million euros, priority was given to the acoustics and to the general
comfort of public and musicians.

Work began in January 2005, when the false ceilings were knocked out,
giving greater height and volume to the auditorium, while two single rows
of balcony seats were built on either side which throw back the sound. The
twelve rows of seats situated in the orchestra stalls under the balcony
were eliminated, and the general number of places reduced to 1913. Made of
a warm, red burgundy-coloured fabric with light beech wood, the seats are
considerably more comfortable than before, with more space around, and
most seem to have good visibility as they curve slightly round.

Salle PleyelPhoto: Archives Pleyel

The stage itself, moveable, is further forward than it used to
be, and has been constructed in pale oak, while 160 highly popular places
behind the orchestra enable music lovers to see the conductor's face
whilst perhaps feeling they are part of the orchestra itself!
Even the original parquet floor was entirely renovated. However, the most
successful renovation concerns the imposing main entrance hall, restored
to all its art-déco glory, with high cream coloured walls and columns
edged in gold. The floor mosaic, destroyed in 1994, has been reconstructed
in black and white stone, trimmed with gold. Not least, the public now
benefits from a vast modern foyer behind the stalls, with floor to ceiling
windows looking out over the rue de Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

Salle PleyelPhoto: Archives
Pleyel

As far as the orchestra is concerned, they now
enjoy modern comfortable dressing rooms where they can hang their smart
Jean-Louis Scherrer suits. The whole orchestra is as elegantly dressed as
their trim resident conductor, with collarless long black jackets over
well-cut trousers. It might be a minor detail, but what a welcome one! The
women will have to wait until January for their selection of haute couture dresses,
skirts and pants
.

Christoph Eschenbach's one regret is that the orchestra is not yet
known on an international level, which, considering the incredible work he
has accomplished the last 6 years is certainly a matter of time. He told
me that the orchestra was going to Germany and Holland early next year,
with a trip to China later, but that more tours were needed as well as
more recordings. It seems time for the rest of the world to take a second
look at one of France's leading orchestras.

Forthcoming highlights of the current
season at the Salle Pleyel include: